Oneshot Songfics
by One Fujoshi Otaku Among Many
Summary: This is my version of the Ipod challenge. Ten one shots inspired by random songs on my laptop. Mostly going to be Max and Fang centric, but I'm not exactly sure. Enjoy!
1. Who Says You Can't Go Home?

**Okay, I am guessing that many of you have heard of the Ipod challenge. It is where you set your Ipod (or other music playing device) on random and write a short story for whatever song pops up. You have to stop when the song stops. You do it ten times. I am going to give it a try, except I will do ten one-shots. I will end them when they end, not when the song ends (all of the songs I listen to are to short to get a good story.) So, here you go! **

**This first one is about ten years after MAX. Fang has been gone for three years, because he was in the army. America was in a war (completely made up) and a draft was necessary. Fang got pulled in and had to go. He is now coming back. (I have no idea if the army actually does any of this stuff, but I am using artistic license. **

Fang POV

Well, I was finally going home. Apparently, even though I was only 98% human, I still qualified for a draft. So, I was pulled and sent off three years ago. I sat on the bus as it drove to my house. I looked again at the letter I had. It was from Ella.

_Fang,_

_Things haven't been the same since you left. I don't think you can stay much longer. Max...isn't doing well. She hasn't been sleeping enough, or eating enough. She just sits in her room and stared at the last letter you sent. Whenever a new one comes, she always gets to it first. She reads it, then lets me have it so I can read it to the Flock and Mom. Max has been sort of half-asleep, half-awake. The only time she shows any emotion is when another letter comes. Angel says that getting the mail is the best and worst part of her day. That she wants a letter from you, but is terrified that a letter will come saying you died. _

_Okay, you need to get back here as soon as possible. Mom just found out. Max needs you. I don't care how you get out of service, but you will and you will get your butt back home. If you don't, well, I can't promise you will come back to all of us. Get back here soon as possible, or I will send Gazzy after you. Hurry. Please._

_See you soon (or else!)_

_Ella._

I frowned. Ella's letter worried me. As soon as I had gotten it, I had gone to one of the officers and explained. When they heard that my girlfriend might kill herself if I didn't get back, they apparently had a big problem. They couldn't really send me back, but I definitely couldn't stay. Eventually, the choice was taken out of their hands. I got shot through the shoulder, and so I had to go home. I smiled. It was going to be a big surprise for everyone. The bus had a radio playing, and a new song came on.

_I spent 20 years trying to get out of this place  
I was looking for something I couldn't replace_

_  
I was running away from the only thing I've ever known  
Like a blind dog without a bone  
I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone  
I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold  
I been there, done that and I ain't lookin' back on the seeds I've sown,  
Saving dimes, spending too much time on the telephone  
Who says you can't go home_

Who says you can't go home  
There's only one place they call me one of their own  
Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home  
Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact  
There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home  
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright

I went as far as I could, I tried to find a new face  
There isn't one of these lines that I would erase  
I lived a million miles of memories on that road  
With every step I take I know that I'm not alone  
You take the home from the boy, but not the boy from his home  
These are my streets, the only life I've ever known,  
who says you can't go home

Who says you can't go home  
There's only one place they call me one of their own  
Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home  
Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact  
There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home  
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright

I been there, done that and I ain't looking that  
It's been a long long road  
Feels like I never left, that's how the story goes

It doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter where you go  
If it's a million miles aways or just a mile up the road  
Take it in, take it with you when you go,  
who says you can't go home

Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact  
There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home  
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright  
Who says you can't go home

_Who says you can't go home_

Wow. That song was freakishly accurate. I had been looking for a way to get out of the place where I was, mentally, for the past twenty years. But, I was finally going home. And this time, I wasn't leaving ever again, no matter what.

The bus pulled up right in front of my house. The whole Flock was out front, and they looked up curiously. It had been awhile since I had seen any of them. There were a couple people that I didn't know, but I completely forgot about them when I saw Max. She was thin, almost unhealthily so. She was staring at the bus.

I stood up. My stuff was being brought by a different bus tomorrow, so I didn't have to grab anything. I hurried off the bus.

Once I stepped off the bus, the whole Flock froze. We stared at each other for a few moments, then Angel shrieked.

"FANG!!!"

All of them swamped me. But I only had eyes for one face. Max was staring at me like I was a ghost. As soon as I could, I walked up to her. We stared at each other for a few moments, then she flung her arms around me. She buried her face in my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her. I felt wetness on my shirt and running down my cheeks. I bent my head and whispered in Max's ear.

"I'm _never_ leaving again."

"I thought you-you-"

I lifted her chin so we were looking in each others eyes. I grinned, the grin I saved for Max and only Max.

"Who says you can't go home?"


	2. My Happy Ending

**Okay, here is the next chapter! In this one, it is AU, no wings. Max is a normal 17 year old girl. She has a boyfriend, but it isn't Fang. **

This was too much. I had to talk to him. I was waiting in the park. We would always meet here. He was striding up the path and my heart missed a few beats. Then, I remembered what I had seen, in the corner of the dance last night. He saw me and grinned. That grin faded when I didn't smile back like I usually did and was replaced with a look of concern. He walked the last few feet to me and stopped right in front of me.

"Max? Is everything okay?"

"Not really. Just wanted you to know, I know about you and Lissa, Sam. You don't have to hide it anymore. I saw you two sucking each others faces off last night. You don't have to pretend you like me anymore. I also know about the drugs, the drinking, all of it. I know everything, Sam."

Sam blinked and looked at me. I was half hoping that he would just laugh and tell me that I was wrong, that Lissa had attacked him and he loved no one but me. Then all of my hopes were crushed.

"Well, thank God I don't have to keep up with this charade anymore. Yes, I'm with Lissa now. And really, I have no idea what I ever saw in you. Compared to her, you're nothing. And, really, living a good, well behaved life is extremely dull. I don't know how you survive. Bye Max. See ya 'round." and he turned to walk off. At least, he tried to. He didn't get very far before I punched him. I glared at him, then ran back to my house. I went straight upstairs and slammed my door shut. I turned on my Ipod and set it to repeat. I pressed play and a random song started.

_So much for my happy ending_

_Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh..._

Let's talk this over  
It's not like we're dead  
Was it something I did?  
Was it something You said?  
Don't leave me hanging  
In a city so dead  
Held up so high  
On such a breakable thread

You were all the things I thought I knew  
And I thought we could be

You were everything, everything that I wanted  
We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it  
And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away  
All this time you were pretending  
So much for my happy ending  
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...

You've got your dumb friends  
I know what they say  
They tell you I'm difficult  
But so are they  
But they don't know me  
Do they even know you?  
All the things you hide from me  
All the stuff that you do

You were all the things I thought I knew  
And I thought we could be

You were everything, everything that I wanted  
We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it  
And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away  
All this time you were pretending  
So much for my happy ending  
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...

It's nice to know that you were there  
Thanks for acting like you cared  
And making me feel like I was the only one  
It's nice to know we had it all  
Thanks for watching as I fall  
And letting me know we were done

You were everything, everything that I wanted  
We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it  
And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away  
All this time you were pretending  
So much for my happy ending  
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...

_You were everything, everything that I wanted  
We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it  
And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away  
All this time you were pretending  
So much for my happy ending  
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh..._

_Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...  
So much for my happy ending_

_Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...  
So much for my happy ending_

_Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh... _

As the song ended, the tears began to fall from my eyes. I couldn't stop them. This song explained exactly what had just happened. Like the song said, 'so much for my happy ending...'

There was a soft knock at my door. I quickly wiped away the tears and hoped that it didn't look like I had been crying.

"Come in." I think I did well.

The person who walked in was Nick Ascher, AKA Fang. His mother had been raped in an alley at the age of sixteen, so she had given him away, knowing she wouldn't be able to give him a happy life. Everyone involved agrees that she did the right thing. My family was fostering him, until he either found a new home or turned eighteen. So far, it didn't look like either was happening. He was about two months younger then me.

Fang took one look at me sitting on my bed and somehow immediately knew something was wrong. Since he never speaks unless he has to, he just raised an eyebrow at me. I knew that he wanted to know what was wrong, but I wasn't sure I wanted to tell him. He came over and sat down beside me, still staring at me. I sighed.

"Yesterday, at the dance, I saw Sam kissing Lissa in a corner. I just confronted him about it. And the...other stuff. He said that compared to Lissa, I was nothing. He basically broke up with me. And it hurts." My voice was thick with tears again. I closed my eyes and hung my head.

I heard Fang shift a bit, then a hand pulled my head into a semi-hard shoulder. I put my arms around Fang's neck and cried silently into his shoulder. His hand kept my head there, and his head rested on mine. Once I was done, I lifted my head. His face was just a few inches from mine. He seemed to hesitate a moment, then gently pressed his mouth to mine.

I was stunned. The kiss didn't last for very long. He pulled away after a few seconds. He looking at me and whispered.

"Sam is a stupid git. If you ask me, he never deserved someone as wonderful as you."

Then, he stood up and was gone. I sat there for a few moments, wondering. I thought back to the kiss. I had kissed Sam, but it was nothing like kissing Fang. I smilled slightly as I touched my lips. Maybe I could still find my happy ending.

**Okay, I know Max was OOC. Not really much I can do about it. One thing I do want to say: the chapter title will be the song I used. I'm not going to be putting the artist because with most of them, I don't have it by the real artist. So, yeah. Next chapter will come in the future! Buh-bye, enchiladatacos!**


	3. A VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Okay, since I don't know exactly how many people look at my profile, I am putting this up to get the word out. Until four more people take the poll on my profile, I'm not updating anything. I really want to get the story started because I want to enter it in a contest. So, please take my poll, people. Tanks in advance!


	4. You Raise Me Up

**Okay, not really sure much about when this is. Sometime after The Final Warning, when the Flock is at Dr. M's house. MAX and FANG never happened. Other then that, *shrugs* use your imagination. I am inserting my OC, Tara, a little bit, but this is mostly Max/Fang centric.**

**This is Angel**

This is Voice

_This is thoughts_

Max POV

I sighed and wiggled around in my bed a bit, trying to get comfortable. The Flock, plus Fang's twin sister Tara who we had met a couple years ago, were crashing at my Mom's for awhile. It was summer, so Ella was off of school and we all could hang out while the Flock decided what to do and where to go next. And I, for some reason, couldn't sleep at all. I had been trying for over four hours, but still was getting nothing. I sighed again and sat up, just as Tara rolled over in her sleep and muttered something about pickled fuffernutteritis, which apparently was going to turn her into a bunny rabbit named J. R. Finklestien. Tara has the weirdest dreams sometimes.

I walked over to the window and tried to figure out why I couldn't sleep. I was getting nothing, when I was interrupted by-you guessed it-the Voice.

Hello Maximum.

_Voice. Long time, no annoy. What fortune cookie idiocy do you have for me today?_

You need to save the world, Maximum, but you can't do that without a rock to lean on. Find your rock, Maximum. Then save the world.

_Jeez, you sound like Yoda or something. And I know that I have to save the world, you know. You've told me over fifty times!_

Nothing. I rolled my eyes-typical Voice- and started to think over what it had said. As is usual with what the Voice says to me, it made no sense. A few notes of music played from the room, and I remembered that Tara had to fall asleep to music or she would wake up screaming bloody murder from a nightmare. After the first time, Mom had gone out and bought the whole Flock and Tara ipod touches. Tara used hers every night to get to sleep, and had a bunch of random songs. I went into the room and turned hers on. I looked at the song playing and began to listen. It was one a song by Celtic Women, a group whose music Tara loved. I wasn't sure how many she had on her itouch, but this one was called You Raise Me Up.

**_When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;_**  
**_When troubles come and my heart burdened be;_**  
**_Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,_**  
**_Until you come and sit awhile with me._**

Whenever I felt like life was getting to be too much for me, that I couldn't go on doing this, Fang would always find me, and sit with me, rubbing my back till I had built up my walls again. If I needed to, I could pour out all of my troubles to him. He would listen, sometimes say something that helped me think straight, or find the solution I needed. Usually, he would just listen to me as I ranted against everyone who had forced us to live such a horrible life.

**_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;_**  
**_You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;_**  
**_I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;_**  
**_You raise me up: To more than I can be._**

With Fang beside me, or behind me, I knew that I could take on anything. That he would always have my back. That everything would end up fine. If I felt like I needed a second opinion, Fang was almost always the one I turned to. I could talk with him like I could no one else. It was almost like we could read each others minds, but no one else's. He was one of the only people who I trusted completely and utterly.

**_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;_**  
**_You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;_**  
**_I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;_**  
**_You raise me up: To more than I can be._**

Fang was always there when I needed him. He was the one who helped me get through every day, even if neither of us knew it. Yes, I needed the whole Flock, but Fang most of all. He had been the first one I had met, way back in the School, and the one I flew with for the first time. Our cages had been right next to each other, and when I came back almost crying from a particularly nasty test or experiment, he would reach through the bars and hold my hand till I felt better. Even now, when I needed a bit of extra reassurance, one touch from him and I felt completely sure of myself again.

**_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;_**  
**_You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;_**  
**_I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;_**  
**_You raise me up: To more than I can be._**

**_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;_**  
**_You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;_**  
**_I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;_**  
**_You raise me up: To more than I can be._**

**_You raise me up: To more than I can be._**

It was Fang who I alway leaned on when I needed to lean on someone; Fang who I went to when I needed to rant about stuff; Fang whose praise meant the most to me; Fang who was my rock.

And it was Fang who I loved.

I felt a bit hesitant about saying anything to him, and was thinking of ways to bribe Angel not to tell him, when the Voice showed up again.

No, Max. You have to tell him. If you don't have a rock, you can't save the world. Fang is your rock. You have to tell him to save the world.

_I can't tell him. If it doesn't work out, then the Flock will split up and I can't have that happen again. Once was one time too many. Also, if the School found out, who knows what they'd do?_

You have to take that risk, Maximum. If you don't, the world will never be saved and you will lose him anyways.

At that I froze.

_Explain._

If you don't save the world, Itex will take over and eliminate all possible threats. They won't want to lose you, since you are so valuable. But they can't control you as you are. To break you and gain control of you, they will kill Fang and threaten to kill the others. By this time, they will have figured out ways to block all of your abilities. You will lose everything that is most dear to you, and never get it back.

I turned off Tara's itouch, then crawled back into bed. I made up my mind to tell Fang.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next morning, I made sure to wake up early enough to 'talk' with Angel.

_Ange?_

**Yes Max? **There was a pause as she read what had happened last night. **What are you going to do, Max?**

_I'm going to talk to Fang. Please don't tell him anything, just that I want to talk with him right now. And when Tara wakes up, tell her that I borrowed her itouch. 'Kay sweetie? _

**'Kay Max. **Another pause. **Fang will meet you on the roof. He wants to go flying with you. But, your mom just got up and she wants you both to have breakfast. Can you wait till after?**

_'Kay. Tell Fang we'll talk after breakfast._

I hurried and got dressed, wondering who else was up. I was the second one downstairs, the first being none other then Fang. Wonderful. me and Fang alone in a room. And he knows I want to talk with him. He raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting to know what I wanted to talk about, but I ignored him. It wasn't too long before breakfast was ready, and everyone was downstairs but Tara. Just as I realized this, she came bouncing down into the kitchen. I have no idea how that girl can be related to Fang. She is completely insane, and she does not have muscles, she has springs. She also never seemed to stop grinning, even if she is mad at someone. He grin just morph until she looks like a loon on a murder spree. It is very creepy, especially if it is aimed at you. She plopped down in her chair and looked at everyone.

"Good morning, Dr. M, Ella, Max and her merry band of mutants plus Fang."

Almost everyone started laughing. Fang just raised an eyebrow, and my mom covered her mouth with her hand. Everyone else, including me, was laughing. Iggy was the first to be able to speak.

"'Max and her merry band of mutants plus Fang?' What is up with that?"

"Well, to be in the merry band of mutants, you have to be merry. Fang isn't very merry, but he is still part of a group with the merry band of mutants lead by Max. Thus, Max and her merry band of mutants plus Fang. See?" We all started laughing again, now because her head and hands had been bouncing all over the place as she explained.

Once we had finished breakfast, I told my mom that me and Fang were going flying. I also told Tara that I had to borrow her itouch. Once that was all done, we took off. We flew to a nearby cave, and landed inside. Fang looked at me, raising an eyebrow again. I didn't say anything, just began to play the song for him.

Fang POV

**_You raise me up: To more then I can be._**

The last line faded into silence. I wondered why Max had wanted to show it to me, and why she couldn't just do so back at the house. I didn't like being alone with her. It made it harder for me to accept that she didn't love me back. At the same time, I couldn't count the number of times that I had wished the rest of the Flock would leave me and Max alone for a few hours. I looked back at her, wondering what the heck was going on. She wasn't looking at me, but at the horizon. She took a breath and I listened more closely; never a hard thing to do when it was Max speaking.

"I heard from the Voice last night. It told me what would happen if I didn't save the world, and that to save the world I needed a rock to lean on. It said that if I didn't save the world, Itex would take it over, and try to stop me from overthrowing them or something. But they wouldn't kill me, because I am so powerful. Instead, they would kill y-one of the Flock, and use the others to keep me in line. They would have found a way to suppress our powers, so we wouldn't be able to stop them. And it said that I would lose what was most dear to me and never get it back." She seemed to be trying to keep back tears, so without thinking, I put an arm around her shoulders. I expected her to push me away, but instead she leaned into me. I hid my shock and kept listening.

"Right before it told me this, I had heard this song playing. Tara had fallen asleep to it. I couldn't do the same, so I listened to it. And it made me think."

She took another deep breath and looked at me.

"Out of everyone I know, there is only one person who has supported me through pretty much everything. Only one person who has helped me make it through everything I needed to make it through. Only one person who has raised me up to meet every challenge. And without that one person, I would be nothing. I would have failed long ago and we would all be back in the School. The song helped me figure out who my rock is, who i can turn to when I need to break down. You." I blinked, thinking that I must still be a bit tired, becasue I could have sworn Max say that I was her rock. She looked straight in my eyes and my breath caught as I realized that I hadn't heard wrong. She continued when I didn't say anything.

"You are the only person I know who has seen me completely collapse, who has seen me at my weakest. The only person who can make me feel like I can save the world, that I can give the others a good life, a safer one." her voice quieted, and I got the feeling that I wasn't supposed to hear this bit. But, given my enhanced hearing, I did. "The only one I love."

I froze. He must have realized that I had heard her, because she froze too. I stared into her eyes for I don't know how long, trying to see if she had meant it. And I found the answer.

Max POV

Me and Fang landed back at the house to find everyone standing outside, waiting for us. I was confused until I saw Angel smiling. I glared at her.

**You only said for me not to tell Fang. You never said anything about everyone else.** She giggled as Nudge started up.

"ZOMG, Max, is what Angel said true? Is that why you wanted to go and talk to Fang? Did you tell him? ZOMG, are you two together now? Are--" I sighed in gratitude as Iggy covered Nudges mouth, successfully getting her to be quiet. Until he looked over at us.

"Well? Aren't you going to answer Nudge's question?" He was grinning evilly. I glared at him, then realized that he couldn't see it.

"I'm glaring at you Iggy." Nothing.

I looked at all off the Flock, my mom, Ella and Tara. They all stared at me expectantly. I slowly nodded my head once and winced as I waited for the inevitable eruption.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" My hands flew to my ears, as did everyone else's. Tara even yelped, which isn't surprising considering she is three percent cat as well as two percent bird, so her ears are as sensitive as Iggy's. Before Nudge could start ranting, Tara covered her mouth and looked at me and Fang.

"Well, congratulations and all. I would say a bit more, but I need to get Nudge out of here before she starts making ears bleed. I think that the hall closet will work. See ya later."

And she dragged Nudge off, with the latter trying to get her mouth free. It wasn't working. The rest of the Flock came up to us and said there congratulations, then Mom and Ella. I was glad that no one made to much of a fuss about it, and that life began to go on as usual. We all laughed when we found out that Tara really had locked Nudge in the hallway closet. Nothing else really happened that day, except Fang kept hugging me and smiling his half-smile at me. That night, right before I crawled into bed to try and fall asleep to Tara's mutters of penguin cornucopias eating peanut butter sausages and the repeating melody of 'Mr. Bojangles' (I swear that girl has the weirdest taste in music.), I looked out the window at the night sky and smiled to myself, singing softly.

_**You raise me up: To more then I can be.**_

**Well, I think I may have made Max and Fang a bit OOC, but I will leave that up to you all. Bye!**


	5. The Highwayman

**Okay, so this is a bit AU. They grew up with their parents, but they still have wings. Not really going to have Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge or Angel, just Max and Fang. _The Highwayman_ belongs to Alfred Noyes, the song belongs to Loreena McKennitt and Max and Fang belong to James P. I own the idea, and that's all.**

_The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees _  
_The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas _  
_The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor _  
_And the highwayman came riding, _  
_Riding, riding, _  
_The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door _

The wind blew through the tree's leaves, making the boy who crouched among them smile. He looked up at the moon, partially hidden behind the pearly grey clouds. He jumped out of the tree, spreading his wings wide and flapping them hard to gain altitude. He watched the road carefully, following it as closely as he could to his destination.

_He'd a French-cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin _  
_A coat of claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin _  
_They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to the thigh! _  
_And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, _  
_His pistol butts a-twinkle, _  
_His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky _

Fang spared a brief moment to wish that he had something else to wear, but he hadn't had a chance to grab anything when he ran. A flash of hatred and anger flew through him, anger at the abusive father who had beaten him daily. The black-haired boy sighed, a small pang of regret speeding through him as he remembered how he had stabbed his father in the chest. Not for the deed itself, gods know the abusive b****** had deserved it, but for the small fact that now he had to run from the authorities, meaning he could only visit his girlfriend in the middle of the night. As he though about Max, he smiled a bit.

_Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard _  
_And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and _  
_barred; _  
_He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there _  
_But the landlord's black-eyed daughter, _  
_Bess, the landlord's daughter _  
_Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair. _

The smile turned into a full blown grin and he spotted her balcony. He landed and gently rapped on her window. Not long after, it opened and he pulled the girl who came out into his arms. She smiled, he brown eyes fixing with his as she hugged him back. He gently touched the red ribbon keeping her long milk chocolate brown hair in a lose braid and raised an eyebrow. She blushed, muttering something about her younger sister Ella. He just grinned and gently kissed her.

_"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight, _  
_But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light; _  
_Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, _  
_Then look for me by the moonlight, _  
_Watch for me by the moonlight, _  
_I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way" _

"I'm sorry, Max. I can't stay for much longer. They're getting even closer, and I need to find a better hiding place. I'll come back tomorrow, even if the entire Army separates me form you." She smiled slightly and leaned in for another kiss.

_He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand _  
_But she loosened her hair in the casement! _  
_His face burnt like a brand _  
_As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; and he _  
_kissed its _  
_Waves in the moonlight, (oh, sweet waves in the moonlight!) _  
_The he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, _  
_And galloped away to the west _

Both of their heads snapped toward her room as a noise came from inside. He slipped over the edge of the balcony and jumped to the ground, listening as his girlfriend told some lie to her father about not being able to sleep just yet, and coming out for a bit of fresh air. Jeb soon left, and she looked over to see him. He looked up at her and reached up hand to touch hers, but he couldn't quite reach far enough. She quickly pulled out her braid and let her hair fall down. He pressed his face into it, closing his eyes as he took in her unique smell, and gently kissing the blond streaked waves. He let them go and gave her one last, long, hard look, filled with as much passion and love as he could muster, then jumped into the air, flying into the west.

_He did not come at the dawning; he did not come at noon, _  
_And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon, _  
_When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor, _  
_A red-coat troop came marching, _  
_Marching, marching _  
_King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door _

Max waited, but Fang didn't show up at dawn. Nor did her show up at noon, when she was the only one home. In the afternoon, she went out for a small flight, stretching her brown and white wings and trying to calm her thoughts and worries. An hour after she returned, her parents returned with a group of FBI agents.

_They said no word to the landlord, the drank his ale instead, _  
_But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow _  
_bed; _  
_Two of them knelt at the casement, with muskets at their side! _  
_There was death at every window,  
Hell at one dark window; _  
_For Bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride _  
_They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest; _  
_They had bound a musket beside her, with _  
_the barrel beneath her breast! _  
_"Now keep good watch!" And they kissed her _  
_She heard the dead man say _  
_Look for me by the moonlight _  
_Watch for me by the moonlight _  
_I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way! _

The agents talked with her parents, and tried to talk to her about Fang, but she said nothing. She simply glared at the coldly. They left soon after, thanking her parents for trying to help. A few minutes after her parents and Ella left to go see a movie, the agents came back. They tied a gag around Max's mouth, and tied her so that it would look to anyone like she was simply standing at her window. Some of them went to other windows, all facing the same direction. One of them kissed Max's cheek, then placed a gun within her sight. "Keep watch, but don't make a sound. Or I'll use this." She glared at him, growling behind her gag. She tuned back to the window, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she heard the last thing her boyfriend had said to her replay in her mind.

_She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good! _  
_She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! _  
_They stretched and strained in the darkness and the hours crawled by _  
_like years! _  
_Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, _  
_Cold on the stroke of midnight, _  
_The tip of one finger touched it! _  
_The trigger at least was hers! _

Once she was sure that it wouldn't be noticed, she began to twist her hands, trying to loosen the knots that held her hands behind her. Eventually, she felt wetness trickling down her fingers, but she couldn't tell if it was just sweat or if it was blood. She had lost most feeling in her hands long ago. The hours seemed to her to last for years, as she prayed that he wouldn't come yet, not quite yet... Finally, right as the hall clock began to strike midnight, the knots loosened enough for her to get her hands out. She didn't do anything quite yet, waiting to see Fang before making her move.

_Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs were ringing clear _  
_Tlot-tlot, in the distance! _  
_Were they deaf they did not hear? _  
_Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill _  
_The highwayman came riding, _  
_Riding, riding! _  
_The red-coats looked to their priming! She _  
_stood up straight and still! _

She finally saw his dark form as a shadow against the moon. It was impossible not to know who it was. She straightened, and the agents leaned forward eagerly.

_Tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot, in the echoing night! _  
_Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light! _  
_Her eyes grew wide for a moment! _  
_She drew one last deep breath, _  
_Then her finger moved in the moonlight, _  
_Her musket shattered the moonlight, _  
_Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him with her death! _

She watched, waiting till she could make out his face. When she saw him, she slowly closed her eyes, silently saying good-bye, and apologizing for what she was about to do. Before any of the agents could move, she grabbed the gun laying next to her, then ran out onto her balcony, where she aimed the gun and fired it, straight into her heart. She dropped instantly, dead.

_He turned his spur to the west; he did not know she stood _  
_Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, _  
_drenched with her own red blood! _  
_Not till the dawn he heard it; his face grew grey to hear _  
_How Bess, the landlord's daughter, _  
_The landlord's black-eyed daughter, _  
_Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness _  
_there _

Fang froze, flapping his wings and hovering in that one spot. He stared uncomprehendingly at Max's body, for how long he didn't know. Then his brain finally caught up and he let out an agonized cry, looking up at the moon and holding his head in his hands.

"MAX! NO!"

_And back he spurred, like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky _  
_With the white road smoking behind him and _  
_his rapier brandished high! _  
_Blood-red were the spurs in the golden moon; _  
_Wine-red was his velvet coat, _  
_When they shot him down on the highway, _  
_Down like a dog on the highway, _  
_And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his _  
_throat. _

He turned eyes that blazed with hatred on the agents who were rushing out the window, making them flinch back. As he began to beat his wings, flying away from the window and the body of his girlfriend, he began to shout every curse he knew at them, tears pouring down his cheeks. He never saw the bullet that shot him down. His face still contorted in a grimace of anguish as the light left his eyes and his body limply lay in a spreading pool of blood on the road.

_Still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, _  
_When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed upon the cloudy seas, _  
_When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor _  
_A highwayman comes riding, _  
_Riding, riding, _  
_A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door._

**Jeez. That was very depressing. But, the song is depressing. Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter anyways. ANd now, since it is 1:03 AM, I need to go to bed. My family would like me to wake up sometime during the day tomorrow. Night all! Sorry if I depressed you.**


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